Human-AI symbiosis

Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, opens up new perspectives for designers by offering them unprecedented technical, performative and aesthetic possibilities. Indeed, GenAI is transforming design ideation and communication. But how does GenAI differ from classic human creativity? Research suggests that the answer lies not so much in difference as in symbiosis*. That is, designers and GenAI work together to jointly solve problems and perform specific tasks. That is, by facilitating ideation and broadening the field of possibilities, GenAI provides designers with a creative platform to more quickly produce, say, sketches, prototypes or different strategies to develop a given theme↟. Human - AI symbiosis, then, has the advantage of combining the power of AI with the human domain expertise to improve performance and create added value, particularly for commercial purposes. But more than this, GenAI can hallucinate and create things that do not exist beforehand. GenAI, then, as an agent for change, raises important concerns, such as the question of the originality and authenticity of the works generated, the question of responsibility and transparency in the creative process, copyright and intellectual property, or even the risks of manipulation. * https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3542698  ↟ https://www.sorbonne-universite.fr/en/news/when-art-meets-artificial-intelligence

Generating ideas with everyday materials

In the context of design ideation, an 'idea' is understood as a basic element of thought that can be either visual, concrete or abstract. An example of a designer who thinks in terms of concrete ideas is Philippe Malouin, who is experimenting and making things out of any available everyday material. Taking an instinctive approach to design, that is, not to think too much in front of a computer, the London-based designer lets the function and the materials influence the creative process. For example, on the theme of sustainability, and based on his salvaging practice, Malouin looks at the waste streams and modify them in order to make a new product, In this way, he has created 68 design products from junk steel. Also, starting with a very open project brief, and with a minimum of intervention, Malouin says he is trying to demystify the creative process.  https://philippemalouin.com/

The shape of things: AI in design

AI is becoming an essential part of designers' tool set in generating images, models, design options and other forms of data. And this often by just a few keyboard prompts and clicking the AI button. However, the ease and flexibility of using AI, from the perspective of individualism and psychology, can be either positive, that is, it enhances creativity with less mental stress (cognitive offloading), or negative, that is, it risks over-reliance on algorithmic feedback (cognitive overloading). This paradox suggests the need to fully consider the design process - from first thoughts to final outcome - as a human experience while acknowledging that AI is both co-creator and design material in the process - not just a tool. That is, as our tooling shapes us, so does AI. Over-dependence on AI, then, may privilege the finished product over the design process. This highlights designer responsibility to think critically of the ethical, cultural, and creative implications of AI.  https://www.riba.org/work/insights-and-resources/professional-features/ai-professional-features/what-can-architects-learn-from-an-ai-in-education-report/

Design and artificial creativity

As AI infiltrates the world, design, as a discipline stands at the threshold of yet another paradigm shift. That is, can AI-driven ideation not only compete with but exceed human ideation, particularly for "routine" problem solving?* In this challenge, designers are exploring multiple directions and pathways while considering AI's creative role as well as its societal impact. It is a hybrid (analogue-digital) creative process which largely simulates human creativity although lacking several characteristics of it.† The design studio, then, is not a confined physical space for drawing and model making but a hybrid practise which blends traditional in-person studio experiences and computer simulations. The hybrid model, moreover, overcomes disciplinary boundaries using combinations of data (structured and unstructured), culture (man-made and biological), matter (organic and inorganic) and technology (analogue and digital) that stimulate and generate new creative perspectives which, in turn, impact ideation itself. Indeed, a paradigm shift. *‘Aha, I know what is going on here and this is what I need to do to figure out the answer.’ reaction to the problem. †AI does not use the same process as a human does when that human is thinking creatively. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2713374523000225